Sleep Well Clinic - all about SLEEP APNOEA in NZ


	Apnoea and Health Obesity and lack of energy There is thought to be a relationship between sleep apnoea and obesity. Daytime sleepiness from disturbed sleep can make it harder to stay active. Weight gain around the neck or abdomen can also make sleep apnoea worse. Controlling sleep apnoea can reverse the weight gain process. More-on-weight-gain... Frequent toileting at night Sleep disturbance throughout the night can prevent a person from producing the hormone that normally slows down urine production. People with problematic snoring are therefore more likely to need to go to the toilet during the night. Treatment of problematic snoring allows the hormone to be produced normally during uninterrupted deep sleep, so the bladder slows down for the night as it should. More-on-toileting...

What's the difference between snoring and apnoea? Effects of apnoea

When a person goes to sleep, the muscles in the body relax, including the muscles that hold the airway open when awake. In some people, the airway is narrow enough that the normal suction from breathing causes the relaxed airway to vibrate and make noise. This noise is what we call snoring.
Some people snore so badly the relaxed airway partially or completely sucks shut. Each event of airway collapse is called an "apnoea", which means "without breath". This can happen many times a night, and if it happens often enough is known as Obstructive Sleep Apneoa.

What!?! Will I choke to death?

No! The main problem is NOT that you will choke to death.
During an apnoea, the person continues to sleep even though they are struggling to breathe, until the need to breathe overcomes the need to sleep (which it ALWAYS will at some point) and they come out of deep sleep into a lighter sleep.
In most cases they don't wake right up, but the change from deep sleep to light sleep is enough to allow the muscle tone to return so the airway can pop open again, often with a loud gasp.
Even before the apnoea happens, airway nerves responding to the vibration of the muscles during snoring can send a signal to the brain that the snoring is actually the beginning of choking. The brain goes on alert, which results in poorer quality sleep and daytime tiredness

So is the only problem disturbed sleep?

When actual apnoea occurs, negative pressure changes in the airway and chest act on the heart and blood system to cause heart to beat faster blood pressure to rise. Because this can happen over and over throughout the night, night after night, people who have sleep apnoea have a higher risk of developing daytime high blood pressure and/or diabetes over time.

More-on-apnoea-and-cardiovascular-risk...
Because sleep apnoea is so common and you can't tell easily if someone is just snoring or if they have sleep apnoea, you should always perorm a sleep test to check for apnoea before treating snoring.
The same process that causes oxygen deprivation can have other related health problems (see sidebar Apnoea and Health).

What can I do to stop sleep apnoea?

Surgical techniques. There are very few surgical techniques suitable for long-term management of obstructive sleep apnoea. The higher the frequency of apnoea episodes, the less likely surgery will help which is why it is so important to do an overnight sleep test before deciding to go ahead with surgical approaches.
Mandibular Splints. Mandibular Advancement Splints (MAS) are mouthguard-like devices that are adjusted to pull the bottom jaw forward during sleep so that the airway becomes more open. It is important for long-term safety that a MAS is fitted and monitored by a qualified practitioner. The Sleep Well Clinic prefers using Dr Greg Reynolds' SomnoSplint for long-term snoring management.
- Pros: Small and portable and can help with snoring and mild sleep apnoea
- Cons: Lower success than CPAP and not recommended for moderate sleep apnoea
  
  More-on-SomnoSplint...
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. Originally developed for more severe sleep apnoea, modern Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy has increasingly been used for mild sleep apnoea and more recently, snoring. CPAP uses a bedside device and nasal mask to deliver a small increase in airway pressure to stop airway vibration and associated noise of snoring. The Sleep Well Clinic have a clinical support team of therapists who help people try CPAP for a few weeks to gauge the benefits of the therapy before making a long-term decision.
- Pros: 100% guaranteed elimination of snoring and/or any severity of sleep apnoea
- Cons: Less portable than MAS or surgery
  
  More-on-CPAP...

Material available on this website relating to sleep disorders should not be considered individual medical advice. Symptoms relating to sleep disorders should be brought to the attention of a doctor as soon as possible.